As­pi­rant Kodera blames car­tel for cat­tle rustling

A pow­er­ful car­tel in the meat in­dus­try is re­spon­si­ble for cat­tle rustling on the Keri­cho-Kisumu border, Nyakach hope­ful MP Vin­cent Kodera has said. He urged the gov­ern­ment to end the cat­tle theft and in­ter-clan clashes.

On Mon­day, two cows were stolen at Holo. They were later re­cov­ered and one sus­pect ar­rested. Kodera said if the theft is not checked it might lead to vi­o­lence be­tween the Luo and Kip­sigis who have lived to­gether peace­fully for years.

County com­mis­sion­ers Mo­hammed Maalim (Kisumu) and Mukhtar Abdi (Keri­cho) on Wednes­day con­vened a joint security meet­ing at Sondu. It was re­solved that vic­tims be com­pelled to be tes­tify for the state to help the pros­e­cu­tion build a strong case .

The com­mis­sion­ers di­rected chiefs to pre­pare a list of sus­pected cat­tle rustlers. They said cat­tle thieves will now face rob­bery with vi­o­lence charges in­stead of stock theft.

But Kodera dis­missed the security meet­ings, say­ing they are not the so­lu­tion. “Why is it that im­me­di­ately af­ter such meet­ings there are more cases of cat­tle thiev­ing?” he asked. “... it is high time the gov­ern­ment put an end to prop­erty de­struc­tion and un­nec­es­sary deaths.”